Toroidal coil winding machine wire guide



Nov. 26, 1968 Q R. FAHRBACH 3,412,943

TOROIDAL COIL WINDING MACHINE WIRE GUIDE Filed Aug. 31, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 17/5 4 FI'OENEYJ Nov. 26, 1968 R. FAHRBACH 3,412,948

TOROIDAL COIL WINDING MACHINE WIRE GUIDE Filed Aug. 31. 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 VENTOR.

Pad off F r'iacfi MS HTTOPNEYS 3,412,948 TOROIDAL COIL WINDING MACHINE WIRE GUIDE Rudolf Fahrbach, Union, N.J., assignor to The Universal Manufacturing Company, Inc., Irvington, N..I., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Aug. 31, 1965, Ser. No. 483,954 10 Claims. (Cl. 242-25) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A guide for wire supplied to a toroidal winding machine having a cylindrical cam rotating on a shaft coaxial with a guide pulley shaft proportional to the rotation of the guide pulley. A linkage between the cam follower and the guide pulley shaft effects reciprocal axial displacement of the pulley and wire therein guided on the magazine of the machine,

This invention relates to wire guides for toroidal coil winding machines and particularly to a wire guide that automatically controls the disposition of wire in a magazine according to a preset program and is self-powered.

In toroidal coil winding machines, the annular magazines are of ring form. The wire or strand to be formed as coils on a closed core is loaded on the magazine after the magazine has been interlinked with the blank core by separating the magazine at a split provided therefor. The magazine is usually twisted about the break at the split sufficiently to receive the core between the so-formed gap, In the alternative, the magazine may be provided with a removable segment which provides the gap when removed for interlinking the blank core. A groove or slot is provided in the magazine in which or on which the strand is loaded or wound. The dimensions of the groove or slot are a matter of choice and may be circular, oval or rectangular in cross section.

In such machines, the first step or phase of winding a toroidal coil involves loading the wire strand on the magazine from a spool source rotatably mounted near or on the toroidal winding machine and usually includes means to guide the strand from the supply spool to the magazine. Early in the toroidal coil winding art, little or no attention was given to the manner of guiding the strand on the magazine relying instead on the operator to prevent crossover of the wire and to assure maximum capacity in the magazine. Later in the development of these machines, movable guides were provided to be manually operated to guide the strand over the magazine ring to guide the wire into the groove in the pattern effected manually by the operator. A manually operated wire guide means is disclosed and described in my copending United States patent application Ser. No. 441,472 filed on Mar. 22, 1965. Present day practice, however, requires fast and accurate guiding of the wire strand not completely satisfactorily done by the manual type indicated. Furthermore, in certain machines designed to wire toroidal coils of large size and weights, the physical size of such machines makes it prohibitive for an operator to manually operate the previously known manual guide means since the location of the guide is practically inaccessible.

It is the general objective of this invention to provide a guide for strand of wire and the like for a toroidal coil winding machine which is fast acting, accurate, automatically operated, and adjustable to a wide range of operating conditions to thereby allow a program of preset wire guiding configurations depending on the nature of the winding machine magazine.

States Patent 3,412,943 Patented Nov. 26, 1968 ice In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, as applied to a toroidal coil winding machine having a rotatable shuttle or magazine having an annular groove or recess into which a fixed length of strand is wound, a wire or strand guiding assembly is mounted in the path between the wire or strand supply and the shuttle or magazine. The assembly includes a pulley over which the wire passes and is frictionally engaged by it to rotate a shaft fixed to the pulley. A gear train having a gear driven from a pinion on the pulley shaft translates the rotary motion of the pulley to a linear axial oscillation of the pulley whereby the wire, frictionally driving the pulley, is spacially guided to and fro over the magazine in a prescribed and regular pattern. The pinion driven gear is slidable on the shaft pinion whereby the gear and shaft are in continuous mesh notwithstanding the axial displacement of the pulley shaft. By means of a miter gear, and worm and worm gear arrangement, rotation of the pinion gear effects rotation of a cylindrical cam which in turn guides a tensioned cam follower to displace the pulley shaft axially as a function of the rotation of the pulley. The hollow cylinder may be cut to provide a cam surface of desired form. In accord with the invention, the cylindrical cam is arranged for easy and rapid removal from the machine for replacement by a similar but differently shaped cam surface whereby a plurality of different wire winding patterns may be carried out to meet the wide variety of magazine or shuttle types presently being used or contemplated in this art.

It will be appreciated that although this invention is preferably used on machines adapted for interchangeable shuttles or magazines, its use is not so limited and is obviously useful on machines the parts for which are fixed and thereby not contemplated for interchangeable functions of part sizes, etc.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view, partly in section, of the guide assembly of the invention, shown mounted on a winding machine;

FIG. 2 is an end view of FIG. 1, right end, showing certain parts thereof exposed to view;

FIG. 3 shows in section details of the cam of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of FIG. 1 modified.

Reference is now made to the drawing in which like reference numerals refer to identical parts.

The toroidal coil winding machine selected to illustrate the invention includes an annular magazine 10 having a peripheral groove 11 shown generally of U-shaped form and a ring or shuttle gear 12. The torodial winding machine includes the usual base framework table, power units, etc., whereby a toroidal coil has wound upon it strand taken from the magazine 10 in the well known manner subsequent to the step of loading the strand on the magazine by having the magazine rotated by the ring gear 12. Such a toroidal coil winding machine is disclosed in my co-pending application filed in the United States on Mar. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 441,472. The magazine 10 and ring gear 12 are supported and rotated in either direction as coil winding conditions require. A portion of the machine is extended, as at 14, to provide a structural support for the guide assembly 16. The generally tubular housing 18 is journalled to the support 14 and has a mounting flange 20 connected thereto as by screw 22. Housing 18 extends generally as portion 18a over but short of the projection of the planes defining the range of dimensions in width of the magazines 10 to be used.

A pulley 24 having a groove 26 is mounted on shaft 28 and keyed thereto by Woodruif key 30 and connected at its end by nut 32. Shaft 28 is journalled within housing 18 by a bearing 34 on the end of the housing and is rotatably connected to a sliding collar 36 by the shoulder 28a provided with a washer 38, and retaining ring 40. A spring 44 is compressed within the housing 18 between the end of shaft 28 and collar 36 and a retaining ring 46 fixed in place just short of the end of the housing.

Shaft 28 is provided with a pinion portion 28b for engagement with a gear 46 provided with peripheral teeth for meshing with the teeth of pinion 28b. The pinion 28b is made sufficiently long for longitudinal displacement of shaft 28 while maintaining meshed engagement with gear 46 as will be described.

Gear 46 is mounted within bearing housing 48 which is fixed to machine support 14 by screw 50 and is journalled for free rotation within a bushing 52 and hearing 54 on a shaft 56. Miter gears 58a and 58b effect rotation of a worm 60 on worm shaft 62 perpendicular to shaft 56.

An annular worm gear 64 is in mesh with worm 60 and is carried over housing 18c by annular cam base 66 mounted on the gear by screws 68. A retaining ring 70 engages an annular groove in the outer surface of housing portion 18c and Worm gear 64 and is thus kept in fixed longitudinal position yet free to rotate about the axis of pulley shaft 28.

A hollow cylindrical cam 72 is aflixed to or integrally formed with base 66. The end of the cylinder opposite from the base is cut to form a cam surface that is generally along a truncating plane. Cam 72 is preferably cut so that the cam surface 75 is parallel to the base 66 so that a cylindrical cam follower is in a line rather than a point contact therewith. A cylindrical stud 74, serving as the cam follower, is connected to the sliding collar 36 as by threaded engagement in a radial hole in the collar. The stud 74 passes through a longitudinal slot in housing 180. As shown, the stud is in the right end of the slot corresponding to the extreme left position of the pulley 24.

OPERATION In winding wire coils on toroidal cores, the wire strand 78 of a desired length is aflixed to the peripheral groove 11 of the magazine and the gear 12 is connected to drive the magazine in the desired direction. The pulley is oriented by hand rotation to be vertically over the end of strand 78 to thereby align the Wire guide for proper starting position. The Strand 78 is guided over the pulley 24 within the groove 26 and made taut for starting the loading of the magazine. Magazine 10 when rotated drags strand 78 over pulley 24 rotating shaft 28 thereby. Gear 46 is rotated as shaft 28 rotates and through miter gears 58a and 58b and worm 60, causes worm gear 64 and cylindrical cam 72 to rotate about housing 18. Cam follower 74 is kept in longitudinal tensioned contact with cam surface 75 as the cam 72 is rotating, and, depending on the portion of the cam surface in contact therewith, is displaced Within the slot 76 from the right end thereof proportional to the cam surface projection from the maximum rise. The axial position of the cam follower 74 determines the axial position of pulley 24 and accordingly, as pulley 24 rotates, the cam follower 74 is oscillated within the slot longitudinally causing the pulley to be displaced axially following the follower. One revolution of pulley 24, for a given design of gear ratios, will cause a full maximum cyclic displacement of the pulley. This displacement depends on the cam design which can be made so that a given width of magazine groove 11 will correspond to the amplitude of the cam surface, the amplitude being the vertical distance between the maximum and minimum curve portions of the cam 72.

A different magazine, for example, replacing that shown and having a different width can be wound with windings uniformally and regularly spaced and evenly layered with wire strand of any selected length by replacing the cam 72 with a similar cam but differently shaped according to Cit the amplitude required corresponding to the width of the magazine groove.

Each of the required cams is easily replaced by another by removing mounting screws 68 and cam follower 74 whereby the cylindrical base 66 and cam 72 is slid off the right end of the assembly 16.

The strand is laid into the groove 11 in a uniform side by-side array for each layer needed to carry the full length of strand to be wound in the subsequent step of the winding operation on the toroidal core. In practice, the gear train ratio of gears 46, 58a and 58b, 60 and 64 is selected for a median or average value within the range of values that are contemplated for each of the wire sizes, pulley travel and magazine widths.

It will be appreciated that the pattern of the strand wound within the groove 11, is dependent on the shape of the cam. The cam shown is based on a linear symmetrical development whereby a symmetrical flat winding layer pattern is effected.

A modification of the embodiment of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 4. A second groove 260a is added to the pulley 240, similarly mounted on shaft 28 as single groove pulley 24 of FIG. 1 and fixed at the end thereof by nut 32. Groove 260 is designed to carry wire of the same size or range of sizes carried by groove 26 while groove 260a is designed to carry a finer gauge wire. The pulley portion 240a and the groove 260a is of larger diameter than the portion 240. Accordingly, finer wire 780 when drawn over the pulley portion 240a will cause the pulley to rotate more slowly than if the wire were being drawn over the smaller diameter portion. The linear displacement of pulley 240 per unit movement of wire 780 is less and more layers of fine wire can be wound in a given volume of space 11 of the magazine 10. It will be appreciated by those skilled in this art that the spacing of the winding in the space 11 can be varied with a coarse or fine pitch depending on the groove selected for guiding the wire or strand on the magazine.

What I claim:

1. In a toroidal coil winding machine having a magazine adapted to be driven about its axis through a toroidal core, the magazine having a peripheral groove of a given width for receiving wire by winding turns in the groove, a source of 'wire and means to guide the wire on the groove of the magazine, which guide means comprises:

(a) a rotatable pulley for guiding strand from the source to the magazine,

(b) a shaft connected to the pulley,

(c) means responsive to rotation of the shaft to longitudinally displace said shaft as a function of said rotation, including (d) contoured cam means on said housing for controlling the displacement of said shaft to any dimension substantially equal to or less than the width of said groove,

(e) said cam means rotating about said shaft in response to and proportional to the rotation of said shaft, said shaft thereby being axially displaced proportional to the contour of said cam means.

2. A toroidal coil winding machine according to claim 1 wherein:

(a) said rotation responsive means includes a first gear (46) and a pinion (28b) on said shaft, said pinion (28b) arranged to rotate said first gear (46),

(b) a second gear (58b) driven by said first gear (46) for rotating a worm ('60),

(c) a worm (60) and a worm gear (64) in mesh with the worm (60) and said contoured cam means comprises:

(d) a hollow cylinder (72) connected to said worm gear, said worm gear and said hollow cylinder rotatably mounted over said shaft and being rotated by said worm,

(e) a cam surface (75) on a portion of said cylinder,

and

(f) a cam follower (74) riding on said cam surface and in cooperative connection to said shaft to displace said shaft longitudinally as said follower is guided against said cam surface, said cam follower being resiliently (44) pressed against the surface of said cam.

3. A machine according to claim 2 wherein said cam surface is developed so that every point of the cam follower contact is perpendicular to centerline of the cylinder and parallel to a circular plane of the cylinder.

4. A machine according to claim 3 wherein the cam follower is a cylinder, the axis of which cylinder being parallel to a circular plane of said hollow cylinder.

5. A machine according to claim 2 wherein said cylinder is arranged for easy removal by telescoping over said shaft.

6. A toroidal coil winding machine having a magazine adapted to be driven about its axis through a toroidal core, said magazine having a groove for receiving strand, a rotatable pulley for guiding strand to the groove rotating in response to the strand being drawn over the pulley, and means responsive to rotation of said pulley for axial displacement of said pulley including a shaft (28) connected to said pulley, a rotatable and axially displaceable cylinder (36) about said shaft, said cam having a contoured cam surface, a cam follower (74) arranged for axial displacement cam for riding on said surface and axially displacing said shaft in proportion to said cam surface (75).

7. A machine according to claim 6 wherein said cylinder (36) is replaceable.

8. A machine according to claim 6- wherein said pulley displacement axially oscillates at a frequency proportional to the rotation of said pulley.

9. A machine according to claim 6 wherein said pulley has two portions of different diameters, a groove in the smaller diameter portion and a groove in the larger diameter portion whereby the speed of rotation of said pulley may be varied depending on the groove selected to carry the strand.

10. A machine according to claim 6 wherein said cam surface is of uniform curvature and every point of contact for said cam follower is perpendicular to the centerline of the axis of rotation and is parallel to the plane of the pulley.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,575,619 3/ 1926 Catucci. 2,923,485 2/ 1960 Fordeck 2424 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,115,162 12/1955 France. 1,136,649 12/1956 France.

344,201 11/ 1921 Germany.

BILLY S. TAYLOR, Primary Examiner. 

